History Film / WrongIsRight

A film adaptation of Charles [=McCarry's=] novel ''The Better Angels'' directed by Richard Brooks, this 1982 political satire about the connections between the media, governments and politically-motivated violence was a critical and audience flop until its uncanny resemblance to [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror events post-9/11]] brought it to public attention again.

Patrick Hale (Creator/SeanConnery) is a superstar reporter for World Television Network at a time when the news has become more about entertainment than reporting. While in the North African country of [[{{Qurac}} Hagreb]] to interview its ruler, King Awad, he discovers that Awad is about to buy two suitcase nukes for terrorist leader Rafeeq (Creator/HenrySilva) to use against America and Israel. US President Lockwood (Creator/GeorgeGrizzard) authorises the CIA to assassinate Awad, which puts an end to the scheme, but the outrage over his death enables Rafeeq to seize power in Hagreb, and before long terrorists, the CIA, WTN, and Lockwood's political opponent Senator Mallory (Creator/LeslieNielsen) are all scrambling to get hold of the nukes for their own ends.

Patrick Hale (Creator/SeanConnery) is a superstar reporter for World Television Network at a time when the news has become more about entertainment than reporting. While in the North African country of [[{{Qurac}} Hagreb]] to interview its ruler, King Awad, he discovers that Awad is about to buy two suitcase nukes for terrorist leader Rafeeq (Creator/HenrySilva) to use against America and Israel. US President Lockwood (Creator/GeorgeGrizzard) authorises the CIA to assassinate Awad which puts an end to the scheme, but the outrage over his death enables Rafeeq to seize power in Hagreb, and soon terrorists, the CIA, WTN, and Lockwood's political opponent Senator Mallory (Creator/LeslieNielsen) are scrambling to get hold of the nukes for their own ends.

* MarketBasedTitle: International markets titled this film ''Man With A Deadly Lens'', which [[ActorAllusion sounds appropriately more]] like a [[Franchise/JamesBond spy thriller]].

A film adaptation of Charles [=McCarry's=] novel ''The Better Angels'', this 1982 political satire on the connections between the media, governments and politically-motivated violence was a critical and audience flop until its uncanny resemblance to [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror events post-9/11]] brought it to public attention again.

* DeadlyTrainingArea: Hale rushes over to film a terrorist who falls down on the assault course, only to find he's been killed by a stray bullet. He's then pulled to cover by the female American terrorist when he gets too near a hut that's rigged to explode.

* BlatantLies: Sally Blake greets Unger by name, claiming she got it from the [[MyCard business cards he's passing out]]. Unger looks at his card which says "Europa Trading Center" and a phone number, but no name.

* EuphemismBuster: President Lockwood tries to [[TroubleEntendre coach his authorisation to kill King Awad in football metaphors]], but CIA director Philindros isn't having it and insists that he spell out the order. Which he does, literally.

* GoodbyeCruelWorld: King Awad leaves a taped suicide note that is authenticated by the experts. Mallory however shows Hale that you can assemble the same message using taped recordings of Awad's radio speeches.

Patrick Hale (Creator/SeanConnery) is a superstar reporter for World Television Network at a time when the news has become more about entertainment than reporting. While in the North African country of [[{{Qurac}} Hagreb]] to interview its ruler, King Awad, he discovers that Awad is about to buy two suitcase nukes for terrorist leader Rafeeq (Creator/HenrySilva) to use against America and Israel. US President Lockwood (Creator/GeorgeGrizzard) authorises the CIA to assassinate Awad which puts an end to the scheme, but the outrage over his death enables Rafeeq to seize power in Hagreb, and soon terrorists, the CIA, TWN and Lockwood's political opponent Senator Mallory (Creator/LeslieNielsen) are scrambling to get hold of the nukes for their own ends.

* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: General Wombat apologises to the VP for describing the nuclear football as a little black box.

** Hale is driving a sailboat through the desert while acting as TheNarrator, only for a RevealShot to show he's being followed by camera cars filming his live report from Hagreb where he's going to interview King Awad.

-->'''Ford:''' Mr. President, if you resign...a woman...a ''black'' woman, will be in the White House, and she won't be serving dinner.
-->'''Lockwood:''' Congratulations, Madam President.
-->'''Ford:''' If I'm not shot before I'm sworn in. ''([[ActuallyPrettyFunny laughs]])''

* DefeatMeansFriendship: President Lockwood and his Republican challenger, Senator Mallory, spend most of the movie at each other's throats. However, after [[spoiler:Lockwood wins his reelection campaign, the two are seen having friendly phone conversation. This is mainly due to Lockwood launching an invasion of a foreign nation that Mallory hates and initially believed Lockwood was too non-confrontational toward.]]

* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: Rafeeq naturally argues this during his interview by Hale, or at least that his terrorist acts are NotSoDifferent from the acts of destruction committed by Western nations like the bombing of Hiroshima or the atrocities in the Belgian Congo.

* ContrivedCoincidence: [[spoiler:When the FBI hasn't found the bombs before the deadline, the President realises he has to resign as per the terrorist demands. As he's traveling in a helicopter to the UN building, they fly past the World Trade Center and see the two suitcases hanging from the flagpole. However Hale quickly realises they were meant to be found as the CIA wanted a PretextForWar. Sure enough Rafeeq is shown to still have the bombs in his possession as his bunker is being bombed down around his ears.]]

* MyCard: Sally Blake greets Unger by name, claiming she got it from the business cards he's passing out. Unger looks at his card which says Europa Trading Center and a phone number, but no name.

* GambitPileup: One the President goes public on Operation Suitcase, everyone scrambles to get hold of the two suitcase nukes--the CIA (to prove the assassination was justified), Rafeeq (to remove the evidence), Mallory (also to remove the evidence so he'll win the election), and Hale (for an exclusive, but also because he doesn't want Mallory in the White House). Rafeeq's terrorists succeed in tracking the nukes down and taking them back to Hagreb, even though their leader no longer has any intention of using them. [[spoiler:This backfires because it enables the CIA to send a fake demand from Rafeeq threatening to use the nukes, as a PretextToWar.]]

* GambitPileup: One the President goes public on Operation Suitcase, everyone scrambles to get hold of the two suitcase nukes--the CIA (to prove the assassination was justified), Rafeeq (to destroy the evidence), Mallory (also to destroy the evidence so he'll win the election), and Hale (for an exclusive, but also because he doesn't want Mallory in the White House). Rafeeq's terrorists succeed in tracking the nukes down and taking them back to Hagreb, even though their leader no longer has any intention of using them. [[spoiler:This backfires because it enables the CIA to send a fake demand from Rafeeq threatening to use the nukes, as a PretextToWar.]]

* PowerfulPick: The FBI agent who tries to detain the female terrorist gets an icepick in the throat.

A film adaptation of Charles [=McCarry's=] novel ''The Better Angels'', this 1982 political satire on the connections between the media, governments and politically-motivated violence was a critical and audience flop until its uncanny resemblance to events post-9/11 brought it to public attention again.

'''Philindros:''': By God, sir?\\

* PinPullingTeeth: The CIA try to kill an ArmsDealer by pulling up alongside his car and opening fire with a submachine gun, but his car is bulletproof. He pulls ahead and winds down the window, takes a grenade out of a satchel full of them that's on the seat next to him, pulls the pin with his teeth and throws it out the window, blowing up the CIA car.